Crimping apparatus



Feb. 14, 1956 w. RAINARD ETAL 2,734,251

CRIMPING APPARATUS Filed Oct. 8, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I; r mum 15 5, WVEPJTQQS 54 60 r [00 if Zaanard :1: l 11 4 12. JMZZar/ J40 1,, I) ATTORNEY United States Patent CRllVIPlN G APPARATUS Leo W. Rainard and Ewart H-. Shattuck, Wilmington, De l.,

assignors to Joseph Bancroft & Sons Company, Wilmington, Del., a corporation. of Delaware Application October 8, 1954, Serial No. 461,134

7 Claims. (Cl. 28-1) This invention relates to apparatus for crimping continuous filament yarn and tow and has for an object to provide an apparatus of the above type having novel and improved characteristics.

Another object is to provide in a stutter crimper novel and improved means for regulating the feed of material into the crimping chamber.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent as the nature of the invention is more fully disclosed.

The nature of the invention will be better understood from the following description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which a specific embodiment has been set forth for purposes of illustration.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a stuifer crimper embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the mounting member for the feed rollers;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the apparatus of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a partial vertical section taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 6 is a horizontal section taken on the line 6-6 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawings more in detail a bearing block 16 having a top flange 11 and spaced vertical plates 12 and 13 is attached to a horizontal flange 14 of a supporting bracket 15 by screws 16. The plates 12 and 13 have aligned holes 20 and 21 in which a shaft 22 is journelled by ball bearings 23 and 24 and carries a feed roller 25 and a drive gear 26. The plates 12 and 13 also have semicircular grooves 29 and 30 respectively which receive flanges 31 and 32 of cap screws 33 and 34. The screws 33 and 34 are threaded into a bushing 35 positioned between the plates 12 and 13.

A pivoted bearing block 38 having a top flange 39 and side plates 40 and 41 spaced to register with the plates 12 and 13 is formed with semicircular grooves 42 and 43 which receive the flanges 31 and 32 of the cap screws 33 and 34 and are supported thereby for limited pivotal movement about the axis of the screws 33 and 34. The side plates 40 and 41 have holes 46 and 47 in which a shaft 48 is journalled, carrying a feed roller 49 and a drive gear 58 meshing with the gear 26 and driven thereby.

A tension spring 53 having one end attached to a pin 54 held in the plates 40 and 41 and the other end attached to a screw 55 threaded in a bar 56 attached to the plates 12 and 13 holds the feed rollers 25 and 49 in pressure engagement with a yarn 57 which is to be fed thereby. The tension of the spring 53 may be adjusted by a knurled head 58.

The frictional pull of the feed rollers 25 and 49 on the yarn 57 is varied by a screw 60 threaded in the fixed plate 12 and bearing against the pivoted plate 40 to determine the spacing between the rollers 25 and 49.

A crimping chamber block 65 is attached to a bracket 2,734,251 Patented Feb. 14, 1956 66 having a flange 67 sliding in a recess 68 in the plate 12 and attached thereto by a screw 69. The flange 67 is provided with an elongated slot 70 for lateral adjustment.

The block 65 is formed with a vertical bore in which a sleeve 73 is secured. A tube 74 fits loosely in the sleeve 73 and carries at its lower end a saddle 75 which is disposed adjacent the bite of the feed rollers 25 and 49 to form a substantially closed crimping chamber. The tube 74 is clamped in place by a collar 76 threaded onto the split tapered end 77 of the sleeve 73.

The tube 74 projects above the block 65. A tubular plunger 80 rests on the crimped yarn 81 in the tube 74 and carries a collar 82 which is engaged by the forked end 83 of a lever 84 which is pivoted at 85 to the bracket 15. The collar 82 also serves as a weight to determine the back pressure on the material 81 in the crimping chamber.

A link 88 extends between the lever 84 and an arm 89 attached to the screw 60 and is so arranged that an upward pull on the link 88 turns the screw 60 in a direction to separate the feed rollers 25 and 49. The screw 60 is returned by a spring 98. The crimped yarn 81 is withdrawn from the crimping chamber through the plunger 80 by take-up rolls (not shown) or is fed directly to a winder which may be of the constant speed type, as set forth in the copending application of Ewart H. Shattuck Serial No. 413,205 filed March 1, 1954 for Filament Crimping Apparatus. The yarn 57 is guided to the feed rollers by a guide 91.

In operation the feed rollers 25 and 49 are driven at constant speed by a driving means (not shown) and feed the yarn 57 into the crimping chamber against the pressure exerted by the mass of crimped yarn in said chamber. The mass of crimped yarn is advanced along the chamber by the pressure of the incoming yarn and is withdrawn from the top of the chamber by take-up rolls or the like.

The plunger 80 rests upon the mass of yarn in the chamber and rises or falls according to the quantity of crimped yarn therein. When the plunger 89 rises it elevates the lever 84 and exerts a pull on the link 88 which turns the screw 60 in a direction to separate the feed rollers. This reduces the frictional pull of the feed rollers and increases the yarn slippage, thereby reducing the rate of feed into the chamber. Conversely, when the plunger 80 falls the link 88 falls and allows the screw 60 to turn in a direction to increase the friction of the feed rollers and reduce the slippage of the yarn. The screw 60 is turned for this purpose by the spring 90 or the link 88 may be made rigid in which case the spring 90 is not required.

The change in rate of feed thus produced is selected by adjustment of the parts so that the plunger 80 remains at a constant level and the mass of crimped yarn in the crimping chamber is maintained constant. In this way a constant and uniform length of treatment in the crimping chamber is assured. The chamber may be heated by suitable means such as by electrical heating means as shown in said co-pending application.

It is to be understood that the invention is capable of various uses and that changes and adaptations may be made therein as will be apparent to a person skilled in the art.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for crimping yarn or the like, comprising a member having a bore forming a crimping chamber, a pair of feed rollers to feed said yarn into one end of said chamber for crimping, take-up means to withdraw crimped yarn from the other end of said chamber, a member bearing against the mass of crimped yarn at said other end of said chamber and movable in accordance with changes in the quantity of said yarn therein, and feed control means responsive to movement of said member to vary the spacing between said feed rollers to control the yarn slippage in a sense to maintain a constant quantity of yarn in said chamber.

2. Apparatus for crimping yarn or the like comprising a member having a bore forming a crimping chamber, a pair of feed rollers to feed said yarn into one end of said chamber for crimping, take-up means to withdraw crimped yarn from the other end of said chamber, a plunger in said chamber bearing against the mass of crimped yarn therein and movable in accordance with changes in quantity of yarn in said chamber and feed control means responsive to movement of said plunger to vary the spacing of said feed rollers to control the yarn slippage in a sense to maintain a constant quantity of yarn in said chamber.

3. Apparatus for crimping yarn or the like, comprising a crimping chamber, a pair of feed rollers disposed to feed said yarn into one end of said chamber for crimping, means mounting said rollers for relative lateral movement for varying the spacing therebetween, a plunger in said chamber bearing against the mass of crimped yarn therein and movable in accordance with the quantity of yarn in said chamber, means withdrawing crimped yarn from the other end of said chamber, and means responsive to movement of said plunger to cause lateral movement of said rollers to control the yarn slippage in a sense to maintain a constant quantity of yarn in said chamber.

4. Apparatus for crimping yarn or the like, comprising a crimping chamber, a pair of feed rollers disposed to feed said yarn into one end of said chamber for crimping, a fixed support carrying one of said rollers, a movable support pivoted to said fixed support and carrying the other of said rollers, a plunger in the other end of said chamber bearing against the mass of crimped yarn therein and movable in accordance with changes in quantity of said yarn therein, means Withdrawing crimped yarn from said other end of said chamber, and means responsive to movement of said plunger to shift said pivoted support to vary the spacing between said rollers so as to control the yarn slippage in a sense to maintain a constant quantity of yarn in said chamber.

5. Apparatus for crimping yarn or the like, comprising a crimping chamber, a pair of feed rollers disposed to feed said yarn into one end of said chamber for crimping, a fixed support carrying one of said rollers, a movable support pivoted to said fixed support and carrying the other of said rollers, a plunger in the other end of said chamber bearing against the mass of crimped yarn therein and movable in accordance with changes in quantity of said yarn therein, means withdrawing crimped yarn from said other end of said chamber, a screw carried by said fixed support to shift said pivoted support to vary the spacing between said rollers, a lever actuated by movement of said plunger, and a link connecting said lever to turn said screw to vary the yarn slippage in a sense to maintain a constant quantity of yarn in said chamber.

6. Apparatus for crimping yarn or the like, comprising a crimping chamber, a pair of feed rollers disposed to feed said yarn into one end of said chamber for crimping, a fixed support carrying one of said rollers, a movable support pivoted to said fixed support and carrying the other of said rollers, a plunger in the other end of said chamber bearing against the mass of crimped yarn therein and movable in accordance with changes in quantity of said yarn therein, means withdrawing crimped yarn from said other end of said chamber, means responsive to movement of said plunger to shift said pivoted support to vary the spacing between said rollers so as to control the yarn slippage in a sense to maintain a constant quantity of yarn in said chamber, and means adjusting said crimping chamber transversely of said fixed support to register with the bite of said feed rollers.

7. Apparatus for crimping yarn or the like comprising a member having a bore forming a crimping chamber, a pair of feed rollers to feed said yarn into one end of said chamber for crimping, take-up means to withdraw crimped yarn from the other end of said chamber, and means responsive to variations in quantity of material in said chamber to vary the spacing between said feed rollers to control the yarn slippage in a sense to maintain said quantity constant.

No references cited. 

